I recall a certain episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation in which the android Mr. Data is told that although his recital of Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" is technically perfect, it lacks soul.
That's how I feel about most of the Neapolitan-style pizza I've tried. When it's done right, it's delicious but often lacks a nice crispness, and its daintiness is almost always just a little less than satisfying.
So when Girl Slice and I met up with some of her friends at Pizzeria Delfina in San Francisco's Mission District over the holidays, I was prepared to be mehhed.
The photos I'd seen of Pizzeria Delfina's pies all said Neapolitan, and San Francisco Chronicle food critic Michael Bauer described it as "thin crust, Neapolitan style with a nod to New York."
"Nod to New York," I thought. We'll see. It seems that when I travel outside New York, the pizza I eat falls into three categories:
Decent-to-masterful Neapolitan-style pizza
"Not New York–style but good for XYZ city"
Ugh
Where did Delfina fall?
Thankfully in none of the categories above. It was, similar to Bauer's description, equal parts Neapolitan (small, personal-size pizzas with exceptionally puffy rims) and New York-style (that all-important and hard-to-achieve crisp-chewy crust).
Somehow, Delfina is able to crank out some satisfyingly proper-crusted pizzas in a gas-fired oven. That the toppings are fresh and outstanding doesn't hurt either. We shared four different pizzas to eat through a variety of what's on offer at this small space next door to the heralded original Delfina restaurant.
The Salsiccia came recommended by Bauer in his review; it's topped with house-made fennel sausage, tomato, bell peppers, onions, and mozzarella ($14). I'm pretty much a sucker for any sausage-and-onion pie. This one was my favorite of the evening.
Girl Slice chose for her pick a basic Margherita (pictured at top of post), which was good, because it gave us a good baseline to judge crust, cheese, sauce, and overall balance. It passed—and exceeded—muster in all respects. New Yorkers familiar with Lucali should imagine one of Mark Iacono's pizzas but smaller.
We also chose a couple pizzas that were either specials or that weren't listed on the Pizzeria Delfina online menu, because I have no idea which of the seven on-menu pizzas the two above would be. Sorry. The point of the dinner was not so much a pizza review as it was a catching-up with (and, for me, meeting new) friends.
The topmost of the two pies above was a white pizza topped with guanciale, and the one just above had prosciutto and fresh greens and was almost a salad pizza. Not bad, but by the point I ended up eating these two, I was stuffed to the gills, and I'm afraid I couldn't full appreciate them.
Insalata tricolore (arugula, radicchio, and endive with lemon, extra virgin olive oil, and grana padano; $8)
The fact that we noshed on some appetizers (above) didn't help things, either.
Another box joins the Slice Pizza Box Museum.
We couldn't house all the pizza on the table by the end of the meal and had to take some home.
The only other pizzerias I've eaten at in San Francisco are Pizzaiolo and Blondie's. Blondie's was UGH, but I'd have hard time choosing which was better among Delfina and Pizzaiolo. Though, from memory, I'd give the edge to Delfina right now. I'd have to revisit both on the same day to do a head-to-head comparison.
And, yeah, I know there are tons of other places that I should have tried, but I only had so many meals out on my dance card while I was there, so don't rake me over the coals for missing your favorite or one that you think is better than Delfina. (Although you're free to leave suggestions in the comments here for my next visit.)
Pizzeria Delfina
Address: 3611 18th Street, San Francisco CA 94110 (near Guererro; map) Phone: 415-437-6800 Website:pizzeriadelfina.com
Nice review of Pizzeria Delfina. I've enjoyed their pie too, though I have a few suggestions for your next visit- I don't consider them the best in the city for pizza, though their non-pizza restaurant is SPECTACULAR. Oh, and if they had the arancini and you got the mozz and salad instead, I weep for you. Anyway, my main kvetch with delfina is that they have a super thin crust, which I sometimes like, but it isn't always nice and crispy, which I don't. But then, I'm fond of the more California style pizza, so for the less substantial, thin crust and light toppings pizza, I'm a nitpicker for even a touch of floppyness through the center, which I find Delfina prone to.
For your next visit, might I recommend Magnolia's brewers yeast pizza in the haight? The brewery doesn't specialize in pizza only, but I love theirs more than any other I've had in the city. The crust is crisp and flavorful, and they use a more generous but not overwhelming amount of toppings- their pies are a similar size, but are more substantial than those I've had at Delfina. It also probably bears mentioning that they have about 20 different made-in-house brews which are always fantastic- I'm a sucker for the beer and pizza combo, another department in which I found Delfina lacking. Anyway, hope you enjoyed SF!
the margharita looks decent.... hopefully the crust is crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside because it looks a little thick on the edges. but for the most part, i'd eat it. (brooklynite raised on pizza, when it was really good)
Eating at Pizzeria Delfina and Pizzaiolo on the same day would not be enough to pick one over the other. I've eaten dozens of pizzas from these places, and they are inconsistent from day to day (even the 4th pizza above looks pretty inconsistent with the other 3). The owner of Pizzaiolo is actually anti-consistency (and talks about it on his site: http://www.pizzaiolooakland.com/about/rants/). I've had pizzas from these places that rank amongst the best I've ever had. I also got one that I could only eat 2 bites of, and I only took the second bite because I couldn't believe the pizza was really as bad as the first bite indicated.
Most of the time, I think both of these places are more puffy and soft than crispy-chewy. Most of the decent pizza places in the Bay Area are that way. If you want something more New-York-y, go for Gioia, Arinell, Tomasso's. Nizza la Bella, too, except that her pies don't seem nearly as NYy as the menu makes them sound, or her background would imply; also, they're priced a bit too much like UPN.
For straight up VPN style, you'd want A16 or Picco, most likely. But, you (Adam) could probably make a pretty accurate guess as to what they're like without actually going. So, I wouldn't put them at the top of your list if you were visiting again. I would put Tomasso's there, because it's pretty good and has by far the best historical value out here.
Two summers ago I had the opportunity to have one lunch in San Fran and of course I wanted sample the best pizza I could find. I had done some research before heading there and determined that Pizzeria Delfina was a good bet. I had a surprisingly good gas oven margherita, preceeded by some very good fresh mootz and crustini. What impressed me most though was some local fish call Sand Dabs that were fried in a vey nice batter. I hope to return someday soon to check out their new Pacific Heights location. I'd also like to find a true Pizzeria Napoletana with a wood burning oven next time. Back to the pies for a moment; I don't recall the crust having the cracker consistancy that you find at Lucali's. Perhaps my memory was clouded by the abundanced of vodka that was consumed the prior evening.
BTW, those were some very nice photos of the place in that link up there.
Delfina was very good when I tried it in April of '08. Unfortunately, some of the other dishes weren't as good as the pizza. I remember a really greasy, mushy plate of fried cauliflower. For other SF pizza greatness, I'd recommend A16 on Chestnut in the Marina District and you gotta hid the Cheese Board in Berkeley for its unique ethic and topping combos!
Spent the past week in Tokyo and am happy to report that pizza is loved by many there, and surprisingly decent! I forgot to take some pics but I had a few pies there that were comparable to lower-tier NYC napoletana pies. Margherita pies are quite a common sight on many Tokyo Italian menus.
I love Delfina, but they completely failed on the Margherita. The tomato sauce was surprisingly bad. The Carbonara pizza was brilliant, though, especially with the runny eggs on top.
Pizzaiaolo is also really good, and I really need to go back soon. A16's Margherita was good but the tomato sauce had too much flavor...if that makes sense.
My fave Neapolitan pizza in the Bay Area is still Picco in Larkspur.
If you make pizzas you'll find that the quality goes in with the making of the dough. Lots of hours and maybe several risings. Probably (thought I haven't tried it) you could make decent pizza on a hot car roof if the dough was right. Jolivore
My theory of PD is that they salt their dough exactly to my liking. Which is what keeps me coming back to them over say, Pizzaiolo. (Well, that and the fact that the new PD in Pacific Heights is 4 blocks from home!)
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I recall a certain episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation in which the android Mr. Data is told that although his recital of Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" is technically perfect, it lacks soul. 
13 Comments:
Nice review of Pizzeria Delfina. I've enjoyed their pie too, though I have a few suggestions for your next visit- I don't consider them the best in the city for pizza, though their non-pizza restaurant is SPECTACULAR. Oh, and if they had the arancini and you got the mozz and salad instead, I weep for you. Anyway, my main kvetch with delfina is that they have a super thin crust, which I sometimes like, but it isn't always nice and crispy, which I don't. But then, I'm fond of the more California style pizza, so for the less substantial, thin crust and light toppings pizza, I'm a nitpicker for even a touch of floppyness through the center, which I find Delfina prone to.
For your next visit, might I recommend Magnolia's brewers yeast pizza in the haight? The brewery doesn't specialize in pizza only, but I love theirs more than any other I've had in the city. The crust is crisp and flavorful, and they use a more generous but not overwhelming amount of toppings- their pies are a similar size, but are more substantial than those I've had at Delfina. It also probably bears mentioning that they have about 20 different made-in-house brews which are always fantastic- I'm a sucker for the beer and pizza combo, another department in which I found Delfina lacking. Anyway, hope you enjoyed SF!
Ravara at 5:23PM on 01/02/09
the margharita looks decent.... hopefully the crust is crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside because it looks a little thick on the edges. but for the most part, i'd eat it. (brooklynite raised on pizza, when it was really good)
pooch at 6:48PM on 01/02/09
Eating at Pizzeria Delfina and Pizzaiolo on the same day would not be enough to pick one over the other. I've eaten dozens of pizzas from these places, and they are inconsistent from day to day (even the 4th pizza above looks pretty inconsistent with the other 3). The owner of Pizzaiolo is actually anti-consistency (and talks about it on his site: http://www.pizzaiolooakland.com/about/rants/). I've had pizzas from these places that rank amongst the best I've ever had. I also got one that I could only eat 2 bites of, and I only took the second bite because I couldn't believe the pizza was really as bad as the first bite indicated.
Most of the time, I think both of these places are more puffy and soft than crispy-chewy. Most of the decent pizza places in the Bay Area are that way. If you want something more New-York-y, go for Gioia, Arinell, Tomasso's. Nizza la Bella, too, except that her pies don't seem nearly as NYy as the menu makes them sound, or her background would imply; also, they're priced a bit too much like UPN.
For straight up VPN style, you'd want A16 or Picco, most likely. But, you (Adam) could probably make a pretty accurate guess as to what they're like without actually going. So, I wouldn't put them at the top of your list if you were visiting again. I would put Tomasso's there, because it's pretty good and has by far the best historical value out here.
pizzalogist at 7:18PM on 01/02/09
Thank you-- so much-- for the STTNG reference and video! :-)
shalomblack at 8:20PM on 01/02/09
Two summers ago I had the opportunity to have one lunch in San Fran and of course I wanted sample the best pizza I could find. I had done some research before heading there and determined that Pizzeria Delfina was a good bet. I had a surprisingly good gas oven margherita, preceeded by some very good fresh mootz and crustini. What impressed me most though was some local fish call Sand Dabs that were fried in a vey nice batter. I hope to return someday soon to check out their new Pacific Heights location. I'd also like to find a true Pizzeria Napoletana with a wood burning oven next time. Back to the pies for a moment; I don't recall the crust having the cracker consistancy that you find at Lucali's. Perhaps my memory was clouded by the abundanced of vodka that was consumed the prior evening.
BTW, those were some very nice photos of the place in that link up there.
Ciao,
Paulie Gee
pauliegee at 7:49AM on 01/03/09
Omg I love that you referenced that episode of Star Trek, and even included a clip. That made my day.
Laurel E at 11:24AM on 01/05/09
Delfina was very good when I tried it in April of '08. Unfortunately, some of the other dishes weren't as good as the pizza. I remember a really greasy, mushy plate of fried cauliflower. For other SF pizza greatness, I'd recommend A16 on Chestnut in the Marina District and you gotta hid the Cheese Board in Berkeley for its unique ethic and topping combos!
Spent the past week in Tokyo and am happy to report that pizza is loved by many there, and surprisingly decent! I forgot to take some pics but I had a few pies there that were comparable to lower-tier NYC napoletana pies. Margherita pies are quite a common sight on many Tokyo Italian menus.
santoslhalper at 1:56PM on 01/05/09
that pizza looks so good
MrChow at 4:48PM on 01/05/09
I've spotted some pretty serious looking Napoletana ovens in Japan on flickr. Here are a few (be sure to check out the last one):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pkeruno/259739430/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kryan70/25907261/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/raitank/3084092358/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookiem/2462006362/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7356563@N03/2400376241/
Ciao,
Paulie Gee
pauliegee at 9:05PM on 01/05/09
I love Delfina, but they completely failed on the Margherita. The tomato sauce was surprisingly bad. The Carbonara pizza was brilliant, though, especially with the runny eggs on top.
Pizzaiaolo is also really good, and I really need to go back soon. A16's Margherita was good but the tomato sauce had too much flavor...if that makes sense.
My fave Neapolitan pizza in the Bay Area is still Picco in Larkspur.
inuyaki at 6:18PM on 01/06/09
If you make pizzas you'll find that the quality goes in with the making of the dough. Lots of hours and maybe several risings. Probably (thought I haven't tried it) you could make decent pizza on a hot car roof if the dough was right. Jolivore
Jolivore at 9:23AM on 01/12/09
My theory of PD is that they salt their dough exactly to my liking. Which is what keeps me coming back to them over say, Pizzaiolo. (Well, that and the fact that the new PD in Pacific Heights is 4 blocks from home!)
Jen Maiser at 2:12PM on 01/12/09
I just ate there and would give it a very positive 8/10.
Had the same salad and mozz appetizer as above, with an added thing of olives. All three of them were very good and got me excited for my Margherita.
The pizza was good. The middle of the pie had too much milky liquid, I thought, but the crust was really chewy and incredible.
Yay Delfina!!!
Nebagakid at 6:32PM on 02/07/09